Experts of the Zhukovsky Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) of the Zhukovsky Research Center commissioned the VPS-5 flight simulator, the press service of the institute said on March 10. "The simulator for helicopters with such a number of functional characteristics (visualization, digital simulation of effort on control arms) was created for the first time in Russia. The simulator is to research flight dynamics of various types of helicopters," it said.

TsAGI's new flight simulator for helicopter crews(Credit: TsAGI)

The new simulator comprises a stationary cockpit of a helicopter, simulators of outside situation and onboard equipment, simulating system of the effort on flight controls and a computer complex. The cockpit accommodates the pilot and an engineer who controls the simulator and operates the experiment.

The outside situation simulator is an eight-channel projection visualization system. The dome screen has a horizontal look-up angle range of 200 degrees and 110 degrees in the vertical plane.

The system synthesizes the 3D scene with various landscapes, including mountain terrain. The device can simulate various visibility and illumination conditions depending on the time of the day and weather. Besides, it can put on the scene stationary and mobile ground, air and sea objects. The simulator of cockpit equipment was produced by digital synthesis on several sensor monitors. The simulation of effort on the flight control levers can simulate control systems of existing and perspective helicopters.

The new flight simulator can operate in a single airspace with the existing one. It allows to test paired flights of helicopters, e.g. cargo transportation by two helicopters.